You Again!
by TheBraveButShrinkingViolet
Summary: Aragorn goes to drop off Gollum with the Mirkwood elves and runs into an old friend-sort of *Continuation of Curiosity Caught the Elf*
1. Chapter 1

Thudding footsteps, muffled by the thick growth of moss and layers of fallen leaves, announced Aragorn's presence in Mirkwood. The creature Gollum's head thumped rhythmically against the leather pack on his back as he carried it over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. In his frustration, he had knocked it out with a swift kick to its temple after several hours of its endless cursing, hissing, and spitting. Aragorn's thick black brows drew together in a frown as he reflected for the thousandth time that day how much he would love to drop this foul creature into someone else's care and head on to Rivendell. He ached to go to his beautiful betrothed; to look into her bright silver-gray eyes and breathe in the perfume of her thick sable hair.

Finding Thranduil King's court however, is no easy task and convincing the notoriously stubborn elf to do Gandalf the favor of guarding such an unsightly and clearly evil thing would likely be just as difficult. So, in hopes of expediting his search, he made no effort to mask his presence here-letting his feet fall as loud as they wished and even singing periodically to draw the attention of watchful elvish ears. As he started up a familiar elvish tune, he couldn't help but remember his first visit to Mirkwood and the only Mirkwood elf he'd ever met. Wide sapphire eyes and a full bow-shaped mouth filled his vision for a brief moment. That encounter happened so long ago and it was highly unlikely that he should ever clap eyes on the strange elf again.

...

Pointed ears pricked up. Someone was singing on one of the old forgotten forest paths. The voice was distinctive in its slightly rasping, soulful quality and caused a knot to form in the young elf's belly. But, the elf knew his duty and called his warriors to attention. The man had come far too close to Thranduil's keep and so, he needed to be properly investigated.

...

Three elves dropped down from the trees and within the blink of an eye, Aragorn was surrounded on all sides by sharply pointed arrows.

"Who are you? What is your purpose in coming so deep into these woods?" A soft voice questioned him. Aragorn turned and saw blue eyes so dark and so deep, glittering from the few stray rays of sunlight caught in their irises. His heart skipped a beat. By the Valar! His Mirkwood elf- _Legolas,_ his brain suddenly supplied -was more exquisite than his memory had suggested.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. I would speak with your king."

A golden eyebrow arched.

"You seek an audience with Thranduil, King of the Greenwood elves?"

"Yes."

Legolas' vivid eyes gave him a thorough once over, causing Aragorn to unconsciously pull himself up to his full proud height. After a few tense moments, the elf finally blinked and lowered his drawn arrow. The other elves quickly followed suit.

"Thranduil King does not grant an audience to every strange man walking through the wood. State your purpose."

The note of curiosity in the elf's fair voice caused a smile to tug at the corners of Aragorn's lips.

"I come at Gandalf the Gray's behest to collect on a favor your king owes him."

A flash of recognition danced across Legolas' face before he nodded and then asked,

"And why does Mithrandir send some unknown ranger to do his bidding?"

Aragorn was surprised to see a knowingly playful smile turn up the petal-pink bow of the elf's mouth and twinkle in his striking eyes.

He shifted uncomfortably as he realized that the elf wanted him to directly state his lineage, which always made him feel distinctly unnerved. Still, he was who he was and he had learned to claim his ancestor with a measure of pride.

"He sends Isildur's heir."

The wind rushed very hard and the treetops rustled violently above the sudden heavy silence.

"I thought so", the elf said very softly as if he were saying it to himself. For a moment, his expression softened before he put his arrow back in the quiver and slung his bow across his back.

"I will go ahead and bring word to our king. _Hu-nivya na ni muina fennas a hu-arya ya tenna ni-tulya o haran-quente."_ He spoke to the other elves in a sort of elvish that Aragorn couldn't understand. The words were strange and the accent odd with a lilting intonation he had never heard amongst the elves of Imladris, Lothlorien, or Lindon.

As the last word left his lips, the Mirkwood elf turned and flitted off into the trees leaving Aragorn to the two guards.

"Come, follow us." The darker blonde elf said in a thick accent that matched the one Legolas had used in his elvish.

As Aragorn followed them through the thick growth of trees, walking over the gnarled roots with practiced care, he found himself wondering if Legolas remembered him.


	2. Chapter 2

"Isildur's heir has come at the bidding of Mithrandir to...'collect on a favor'. He brings a strange foul creature with him which was unconscious when I left him."

Legolas stood before his father's throne with his head bowed and his fingers at his temple in the customary elvish salute to royalty. There was a contemplative silence for a few moments before the king replied.

"Bring him before us. And make sure that the creature _remains_ unconscious while it is within sight of our walls."

Legolas backed out of the throne room and just before he turned to leave, looked up at his father and allowed a small smile to flicker across his face as he saw the approval and pride in his father's eyes.

...

As he approached the man, Legolas felt the knot in his stomach tighten. The man, _Aragorn_, was just as striking as he remembered. Hearing Aragorn's voice and seeing those dark argent eyes looking down at him filled him with that same anticipation that had caused him to run off all those years ago. Legolas paused just outside of the others' sight as the sudden urge to laugh at his younger self threatened to take him. He had been such an incredibly sheltered and naive elf! Many years had passed since their kiss and Legolas had since enjoyed the company of a few choice bedfellows both male and female. He now recognized and understood very well the feelings that the man elicited in him. However, Aragorn seemed capable of throwing him off and drawing him in with an intensity no other could match. Legolas shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts as he walked into their line of sight. At least the years and experience that spanned between the present and that past encounter enabled him to pretend that he was unaffected.

"The king will see you now. _Le-pentuulya na imle men._"

The two elves nodded and melted back into the woods. Legolas started off in the direction that he came from without so much as a backwards glance, clearly expecting the ranger to follow.

...

Aragorn stared ahead at the long fall of white-blonde hair as it swayed in time to the elf's steps. Legolas had a decidedly quiet authority. When he spoke it was as soft and sweet as the whisper of spring mist yet it had the power and efficacy of a mighty thunderclap. His gentle and mild-mannered demeanor belied the power evident in the grace of his slight frame.

While the elf's beauty remained the same, his demeanor had changed. Aragorn mused that this was most likely a result of the elf's apparent change in status. When he'd first met him all those years ago the elf had seemed a simple hunter. Now he was wearing light armor with twin swords across his back and he was commanding other elves. Aragorn was curious.

"I believe Legolas was your name?" Aragorn asked in an attempt to start a conversation.

"Your memory is good, Aragorn." The elf responded in a simple and unaffected tone.

A subtle tension filled the air between them as they realized that they both remembered each other from their first meeting. Their kiss hung between them like an invisible knife that they both knew was there and yet could not verbally acknowledge.

So, they walked on in silence. The elf's back a straight rigid line and the ranger trying to look anywhere but the eye-catching sway of the elf's hair and hips. Until the awkwardness got to be too much for Aragorn to bear and he decided to try to shake things up.

"So, was I good?"

The elf started and almost stumbled at the man's blunt question.

"Excuse me?" Legolas was incredulous. Could the man really be asking what he thought he was asking?

"Well, you were so flustered after I kissed you that I figured I must have been either really good or really bad."

Legolas laughed, the happy sound ringing out with the clear pleasant quality of silver bells. Aragorn smiled to hear it and his heart jumped at the knowledge that he'd caused it.

"You are bold", Legolas chuckled through a smile that seemed to outshine the sun.

"Was that a yes or a no?" Aragorn pursued, encouraged by the elf's positive reaction to his forwardness.

Legolas contemplated him for a moment, his head tilted at a slight angle just like it did all those years ago. The effect was just as...adorable as before.

"Maybe I don't remember." The elf threw a playful smirk over his shoulder as he suddenly picked up the pace and walked past the man.

Aragorn could have sworn he felt a jolt of lightening run down his spine when Legolas had smirked at him. He had not been expecting such an openly playful response from an elf who had flipped his lid over a simple kiss mere decades ago. And by the Valar! The elf was incredibly beautiful. It was as if all of the light of the sun shone from his face. The only other that could match him was the Evenstar.

Suddenly, his mind was filled with images of his betrothed: the thick, glossy waves of her hair and her bright eyes which seemed to shine with all the light of the stars. Her full red lips as she whispered words of love and devotion. Ah! He would break the world apart and rebuild it a thousand times to make it perfect for her to abide in. She who would be his wife, Arwen.

"We are here." A soft voice broke him from his reverie.


	3. Mirkwood Halls

The Mirkwood King's halls were unlike any other Aragorn had seen before. Built into the roots of the trees-light came from torches and reflective pools of water rather than sunlight. The effect was both enchanting and disconcerting. The walls were made of packed dirt and smooth stones of varying sizes shot through with blue, grey, green, and gold veins of color were set into them. The walls curved up to form archways overhead-there was no defined ceiling. All the floors looked to be made of polished granite. A large underground river burbled beneath the walkways, filling the air with the soothing sound of running water.

Aragorn bowed in the elvish way with his fingers to his forehead before the impressive wood and ivory throne of Thranduil.

"Well met, Aragorn messenger of Mithrandir." The elven king's voice was deep and calm-it held all the melody and power of the river rushing below them.

Aragorn raised his head to look at the king reclining casually upon his throne, resplendent in the cream-colored cotton and blue silk of his robes-a simple crown of leaves woven into his luminous blonde hair.

As Aragorn opened his mouth to speak, Thranduil turned his head and pinned him with his bright quicksilver eyes.

"I believe I know what it is that you want of me. Know this now-I will not suffer having that disgusting and quite obviously evil thing within my borders."

Darn elves and their mind-reading abilities! Aragorn hid his surprise with practiced ease and quickly rallied.

"The creature's name is Gollum. He possesses knowledge which would be deadly in the hands of our enemy-the same enemy which Gandalf aided you so greatly in driving out of your kingdom. He must be guarded very carefully for he is crafty and cunning and will most likely stop at nothing to escape your watch to wander the wilderness in search of the ring-that absolutely must not happen."

"If the creature is so dangerous, then why not simply kill it?"

"Because _he_ has not committed any crime that we know of and Gandalf believes that he may yet play an important role in the future."

The elf king tilted his head to the side as he looked at Gollum currently sprawled out unconscious on the floor. The head movement sharply reminded Aragorn of Legolas.

"Nonetheless, I stand by my decision. I will not permit this creature to stay within my borders."

"My king." A soft tenor voice filled the air just as Thranduil's deep bass had a second before.

"Speak, Legolas Marchwarden." Thranduil acknowledged the elf to Aragorn's right.

"There is an area on the northernmost edge of the forest- it is a small clearing in the midst of high, dense brambles with incredibly sharp thorns. To my mind that would be the perfect place to trammel the creature. It is on the very edge of your realm and would only require two guards to enforce the natural barrier."

Aragorn felt a happy warmth fill his chest at the elf's unlooked for aid.

Thranduil and Legolas looked each other in the eyes. Both were silent and still for long moment-Aragorn pushed down the urge to shift restlessly.

Finally, Thranduil spoke.

"Very well. Keep the creature unconscious until you have confined him and set a watch on him. The details I leave to you, Legolas."

Legolas bowed and left the throne room, stopping to scoop Gollum up and throw him over his shoulder. Aragorn tried and failed to make eye contact with the elf as he left.

"As for you, Isildur's heir." Aragorn turned to look the king in his starlight eyes.

"You are welcome to stay for the night in my halls. Meagalda will take you to a spare room."

"Thank you for your hospitality." Aragorn bowed and followed the rather short, dark-haired she-elf.

As he followed her swaying coffee-colored curls, he wondered about Legolas. Marchwarden Thranduil had called him, an impressive title indeed for one so young-yet the elf seemed well-able to carry it with dignity. Why did Legolas intercede on his behalf? Aragorn resolved to find the elf later to at least thank him for his aid.


End file.
